I went through all my contacts, non RR also and asked them to sign the petition, these guys are working hard enough without having to worry about being run out of town. Please forward this to everyone you can. Thanks!

I've signed it and would urge all of you to take 2/3 minutes and do the same. The city of Kingston is now playing dirty and these hard working folks need all the help they can get.

Please sign it.

Thanks, Ross Rowland

sbhunterca

Post subject: Re: Please sign the petition to help save the CMRR

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:41 am

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:58 amPosts: 728

Done...

Steve Hunter

Heavenrich

Post subject: Re: Please sign the petition to help save the CMRR

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 11:28 am

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:07 amPosts: 556

1) It would be nice when people post things like this if they would use the full name and location of the site they're talking about -- even from the news story it took me a minute or two to figure out where this is.

2) The issue they're using is lead in paint and I wonder how many buildings in a town that old have the same problem --- has to be every one built before the 1970s!

3) This also shows what happens when you lease rather than own a site and the nimby's don't want you around anymore-- it's been happening a lot recently including Houston, Dallas and Spokane.

I'm certain I'm beating my head against a wall by even bothering to type this but...A internet petition for something like this is uterly worthless. Especially with local politics, does anyone really think that an online petition from people who don't vote in any of their elections will mean a thing?Of course not. Google the phrase, "slacktivism" and you'll see how these internet petitions aren't worth the electricity or bandwidth. It's just 'feel good without actually doing anything substantial' stuff that's become popular lately. If you really want to impact anything, it's best if you live in the area or do business there. Better still, show up if you can. Even a call is a shaky worthwhile venture. I know someone who works on the staff of a member of Congress and they get all kinds of internet petitions. They laugh at them and really only pay attention to people who write directly (and then, only in great numbers), call, or better yet show up at the office. That's why people hire lobbyists for things like this, because otherwise the message never gets anywhere.I'm sure some of you will defend the petition. But seriously, if you looked into how much impact these things really have, you'd never bother to respond to one ever again as you'd then know it's not worth the time.

_________________Lee Bishop

PaulWWoodring

Post subject: Re: Please sign the petition to help save the CMRR

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 1:58 pm

Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 4:02 pmPosts: 1132Location: Back in NE Ohio

Sometimes they work. Usually in conjunction with some stories on TV that make the officials engaged in the outrageous conduct look really bad - like the school and criminal justice officials in FL who expelled and wanted to send that 16 Y/O honor student to prison on a felony for a science experiment gone awry. Major charges dropped, and she will most likely be able to return to school, after tens of thousands of Americans signed on-line petitions, and cable TV ridiculed the officials. But yeah, it's got to be something outrageous like that.

co614

Post subject: Re: Please sign the petition to help save the CMRR

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 3:54 pm

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:19 pmPosts: 1753Location: Pottstown,Pa.

Lee, with all due respect.........with less effort/time than it took you to post the above message on why it doesn't make sense to help as the petitions don't work....you could have signed it and just maybe in this case it will work.

Lee, with all due respect.........with less effort/time than it took you to post the above message on why it doesn't make sense to help as the petitions don't work....you could have signed it and just maybe in this case it will work. Let's err on the positive side and lend a little help.

Yeah, I knew I was hitting my head against a brick wall.They don't do anything. They don't. Really. If you ask anyone in politics or a professional polster, they'll tell you that internet petitions have zero weight, especially when they don't even come from your voters. Think on this; would a Alderman from Chicago, for example, care what someone who votes in Miami has to say about how Chicago does anything? Of course not! To suggest otherwise shows a serious misunderstanding of the political process. Look into that story about the kid mentioned above, and ask someone close to the story. Internet polls weren't what turned that around.It's a pet peeve of mine, people would rather respond to an internet petition that won't do anything than to do anything that might affect real change because it's so easy to do something that incorrectly makes someone think they're accomplishing anything. They deflect people from doing something meaningful, and in that sense they're quite harmful. At the absolute best, you're simply accomplishing nothing.But, people still want to badly believe they'll change something, so people get angry when anyone dares to suggest otherwise.Beats me why I even bother...

_________________Lee Bishop

IC382

Post subject: Re: Please sign the petition to help save the CMRR

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 4:37 pm

Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:28 amPosts: 133

I signed...and feel very good about!

Charlie

Post subject: Re: Please sign the petition to help save the CMRR

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:17 pm

Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 2:27 amPosts: 500Location: Winters, TX

I signed. Even if there's a 99% chance that these petitions are useless, the 1% possibility of it doing some good is enough for me. After all, there's not a whole lot of work or expense in signing the thing.

SPsteambuff

Post subject: Re: Please sign the petition to help save the CMRR

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:32 pm

signed it. Save the railroad!!

Becky Morgan

Post subject: Re: Please sign the petition to help save the CMRR

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 5:54 pm

Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:22 pmPosts: 340

I signed it and will see what else I can do to follow up. While congressional offices aren't impressed, the idea that somebody noticed what's happening is jarring to local politicians who expected to do what they want and walk off...and if you don't believe that, check the reports coming out of Steubenville these days.

Disregard the totally legitimate issue that people outside an election jurisdiction are regarded as irrelevant in an issue such as this. (This is why totally legitimate petitions on a state level require the signer's address of voting registration. And yes, they do check for multiple signatures from the same person. The rejection rate can run as high as 25% in serious state referendums.)

Legitimate political issues cannot, and should not, be decided by which side/agenda does a better job of rallying social media and the Internet to garner "signatures."

I'm watching this exact same dynamic play out in a state to my north. Poll after poll after scientific poll shows that most of the state's residents, by a three-to-one margin want the state government to divest itself of a certain agency and privatize its functions; yet when it comes to petitions, online comments/surveys, "town hall meetings," and the like, the numbers appear essentially tied, because advocates for the status quo (including a labor union representing the government-paid employees of that agency) have continued a well-organized, well-funded poll-packing and meeting-packing activist effort.

Anybody with an iota of common sense, and most especially those paid to act based on the opinions of those with "skin in the game," realizes that online petitions are utterly valueless except to make a participant feel as if they've "accomplished" something.

If you want to support the railroad, write a short, concise letter/e-mail to city and county officials supporting the railroad and suggesting that it will be the reason whether or not you ever come to Kingston. As I did. And watch for opportunities to write similar letters to newspaper editors, comment on relevant blog posts, etc.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum